Shoe manufacture



Feb. 22, 1966 B. v. DARDIG 3,235,894

SHOE MANUFACTURE Filed May 18, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BEN V. DARDIG BY KMM ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 B. v. DARDIG SHOE MANUFACTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18. 1964 INVENTOR BEN V. DARDIG FIGS ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 B. v. DARDIG SHOE MANUFACTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR 55V i- MED/6,

ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 I B. v. DARDIG SHOE MANUFACTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 18, 1964 INVENTOR BEN 4 MRO/G,

ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1966 B. v. DARDIG sHoE MANUFACTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 18, 1964 Rum 55V M5016 /LM AW ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofilice 3,235,894 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 3,235,894 SHOE MANUFACTURE Ben V. Dardig, New York, N.Y. Filed May 18, 1964, Ser. No. 368,152 17 Claims. (Cl. 12-87) This invention relates to improvements in shoe manufacture and is more particularly directed to apparatus for trimming, i.e. contouring and sizing, and thereupon for scouring, i.e. sanding as effects surface finishing, the heels of shoes using so-called snap-on heels, the present application for Letters Patent thereon being a continuationin-part of my earlier application bearing similar title, Serial No. 226,125, filed September 25, 1962, now Patent No. 3,172,136, dated March 9, 1965.

As explained in my aforesaid Patent No. 3,172,136, the snap-on heel concept of my Patent No. 2,932,099, dated April 12, 1960, has opened up new possibilities not only as to the interchangeability of the heels of the same pair of shoes (particularly mens shoes) so that they may be transposed when only partly worn, for example, but also of establishing the universal interchangeability of shoe heels within size ranges, regardless of the make of shoe. However, prior to my development thereof as disclosed in my aforesaid Patent No. 3,172,136, no machinery existed for so contouring and sizing an entire shoe heel as would enable the aforementioned possibility of both heel pair and universal heel interchangeability to be realized. In support of this statement, it was pointed out that the known machine means for trimming heels such as have been disclosed in the patent literature and which are exemplified by the Mayo Reissue Patent No. 11,700, dated September 5, 1899, and the Winkley Patent No. 1,529,047, dated March 10, 1925, were neither designed to provide, nor were they capable of providing, universal or even heel pair interchangeability because of their failure, in the first instance, in establishing any standard contour and size of heel suitable to serving as a master pattern enabling heels to be contoured and sized to the exactitude required for both heel pair and universal heel interchangeability as aforesaid.

Accordingly, a major object of the present invention is the provision of simple yet highly effective and thoroughly dependable apparatus for trimming, i.e. contouring and sizing, parts of heels of shoes in such manner as not only to render the outer heel, i.e. the lift or tread portion, of any pair of shoe heels, interchangeable with respect to one another, but also to render either of said heels interchangeable with any heel of a shoe of any make using the same size heel.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision of simple, practical and thoroughly dependable apparatus for so contouring and sizing the heel seat and heel base portions of a shoe heel to one of a series of standard contours and sizes that will accept a finished snap-on outer heel, as will enable such an outer heel to be attached to either the right or left shoe of a particular pair thereof for interchangeable use thereon, as well as to any shoe of a pair within the size range which will use the same size outer heel, thus establishing universal interchangeability of heels with respect to all shoes within that it becomes capable of serving as a pattern for the contouring and sizing means employed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of simple yet effective and thoroughly dependable apparatus for trimming and scouring the heel seat and heel base components of shoe heels according to a template serving as a pattern of the exact contour and size to which said heel components must be trimmed to enable an outer finished heel component which is interchangeable with respect to that of an opposite shoe of a pair thereof and also to any shoe using the same size heel, to be attached thereto.

Yet a further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus including the template as aforesaid, wherein said template is constructed and arranged as to be simply snapped on to and unsnapped from the heel base component, thus to provide a simple, practical and fast method of template attachment and detachment, which reduces to a minimum the machine out time and lag likely to occur with the use of a template incorporating other forms of attaching and detaching means.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of the shoe-heel trimming and/or scouring apparatus as herein proposed and provided will appear from the following detafled description thereof taken with the accompanying illustrative drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a shoe having a heel base for a snap-on heel applied thereto, prior to any contouring and sizing of the heel seat and heel base components of the heel;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view looking onto the attaching face of an interchangeable (right or left) snap-on heel of finished contour and size adapted according to the invention to be snapped on to the heel base of the shoe shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View looking on to the attaching face of a metal template contoured and sized exactly as is the snap-on heel shown in FIG. 2 and which, when attached to the heel base component of the partial heel shown in FIG. 1, is adapted to serve as a standard or pattern establishing the contour and size to which both the heel seat and heel base components of said partial heel of FIG. 1 are to be trimmed and thereafter scoured;

FIG. 4 is a broken-away side elevation intended to illustrate the template shown in FIG. 3 temporarily attached to the heel base of the shoe shown in FIG. 1, the latter being thus ready for the heel seat and heel base contouring and sizing operation;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a broken-away part-sectional side elevation of an effective form of heel trimming, i.e. contouring and sizing apparatus according to the present invention and which illustrates the manner of using the shoe-attached ternlplate as in FIG. 4 as a heel seat and heel base trimming gm FIGS. 7 and 8 are fragmentary side elevation and plan views of one form of heel scouring means, which is of the type adapted to be mounted on a common drive shaft interchangeably with the trimming cutter assembly;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a presently preferred form of console mounting of both said trimming cutter assembly and said scouring means, wherein said trimming cutter assembly and scouring means are driven from a common electric motor through suitable drive means, and are raised to their respective operative positions by separate foot-pedal actuated means;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG 6, but illustrating a somewhat different means for raising the cutter assembly than is shown in FIG. 6, and also some additional improvement features associated with said cutter assembly which are not incorporated in the FIG. 6 cutter assembly;

FIG. 11 is a broken-away perspective view intended to 3 illustrate in greater detail than does FIG. 6 the manner in which the shoe-rnounted template and trimming cutter assembly of the invention together operate to effect trim ming, i.e. contouring and sizing, of the heel seat and heel base components of a shoe heel according to the herein invention; and

FIG. 12 is a view corresponding generally to FIG. 10 but illustrating the mechanism for separately elevating the scouring mechanism when the latter is consolemounted, as in FIG. 9.

For reasons explained in detail in my aforesaid Patent No. 3,172,136, the invention in its apparatus aspects to which the present application is addressed provides means for trimming and/r scouring the heel base 12 and the heel seat portion 14 of an outsole 16 already in place on shoe (FIG. 1) to the exact contour and size of the finished heel 22 (FIG. 2) which is ultimately to be detachably secured to said heel base 12 by snap-fastener means, illustratively comprising complemental male snaps on the heel base 12 and female snaps 24 which are mounted and arranged on the meeting faces of the heel base and finished heel, respectively, generally as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The apparatus of the invention in the first instance provides a template member (FIG. 3) comprising a template proper 26 which is rigidly aflixed in face engagement to an elongated shoerest plate 28 whose extended end serves as a handle which facilitates handling and placement of the template. As further seen in FIG. 3, the template is provided on its face opposite that to which the plate 28 is attached with a plurality of snap fastener sockets 30 having function and locational arrangement with respect to one another on the template identical to that of the female snaps 24 carried by the finished snap-on heel 22, and thus said sockets are complemental to the male snaps 20 carried by the heel base 12 as aforesaid. Accordingly, the template 26 may be snapped on to the heel base 12, just as the finished heel 22 will be later snapped thereonto, and when so attached, said template will assume the same position with respect to the geometric center and the longitudinal center line of the heel base as the finished heel will have when attached.

However, as seen in FIG. 4, the template 26 when attached is spaced downwardly from the heel base 12 an appreciable distance, due to the sockets 30 carried by the template being secured flush against the heel-base attaching side or face of said template, rather than being set into seating recesses provided therefor in the upper face of the finished heel 22, as is the case of the snaps 24 carried thereby. But as will be later explained, this spacing is of advantage as it permits vertical floating movement of the trimming cutter assembly in accordance with variations in the combined thickness of the heel seat portion of the outsole 16 and the heel base 14, and/or in the regularity of the crease between shoe upper and said heel seat portion, thereby insuring that the cutter face will completely trim the entire depth of heel seat and heel base edge surfaces presented to it.

According to the invention, the aforesaid template 26 is employed as a means for guiding a shoe about a rotating cutter effective to trim (contour and size) the aforesaid heel seat and heel base components of the heel of said shoe to the exact contour and approximate size of the template and thereby of the finished outer heel 22 ultimately to be snapped on to said heel base, and thereupon for guiding said shoe about a means for scouring the trimmed edge surfaces of said heel seat and heel base, as

the term scouring is herein used to mean sanding with a fine sandpaper so as to obtain both final heel sizing and a very smooth heel surface devoid of chatter marks, etc., which is suitable to being stained and buffed for final heel finishing.

Referring to FIG. 6 illustrating the basic elements making up the trimming or contouring apparatus of the invention, such comprises a machine table 32 having a horizontal top surface on which a shoe with template 26 and its shoe-rest plate 28 attached as in FIG. 4 may be supported as it is being trimmed, through which projects the reduced-diameter, upper end portion 34a of a vertically disposed cutter-drive shaft 34 which is suitably powered by an electric motor or other driving means (not shown) disposed below said table. A rotary, multibladed, wheel-type cutter 36 is mounted on and drivingly connected to said drive shaft via a tubular mounting arbor 38 to which the cutter is keyed or otherwise afiixed and which is dimensioned so as to be capable of being telescoped on to the reduced upper end of said drive shaft. The arbor, although axially separable therefrom, is drivingly connected to said drive shaft 34 preferably by means of a pair of diametrically opposed drive forks 40a, 40b depending downwardly therefrom and which are receivable in complemental notches 42a, 42b provided in the opposite peripheral portions of the cutter drive shaft just below its upper reduced-diameter end portion 34a, such form of driving connection also permitting limited axial movement of the arbor in upward direction during cutter operation. It will of course be understood that any other suitable axially separable drive connection for driving the cutter arbor 38 from the drive shaft 34 may be substituted.

The aforesaid arbor 38 also mounts a circular, discform guide 44- having appreciable axial thickness, and which is disposed just below the cutter, in manner as to be freely revoluble with respect to the arbor and cutter, being mounted on ball-bearings 46. At this point of the description it is noted that the lowermost position of the arbor 38 and thereby of the cutter 36 and freely revoluble guide 44 is determined by an upwardly facing shoulder 48 separating the lower normal-diameter portion of the cutter drive shaft 34 and its reduced-diameter, upper end portion 34a and through which the aforesaid shaft notches 42a, 42b open, which shoulder is disposed just above the level of the machine table 32.

The upper end of the aforesaid arbor 38 mounts a freely rotatable rand-guide 50 (so called because it would hear on a rand if provided) which is adapted to be held in an axially fixed position immediately above the cutter 36 by means of a nut 52 adapted to be screwed to the upper end of the arbor, which is externally threaded for a shortlength portion thereof adjacent its upper end so as to be capable of receiving said nut. It will be seen from FIG. 6 that the rand-guide 50 takes the form of a shieldlike collar or disc having appreciably greater outer-edge diameter than that of the cutter 36, its outer edge 50a acting much as a circular knife edge consequent to the upper surface of said disc being tapered downwardlyoutwa-rdly. As will be hereinafter seen, said outer edge 50a is adapted to extend into the crease between the heel portion of the shoe upper and the extended edge portion of the heel seat 14 of the outsole (or between said heel portion and the heel rand), thereby serving to vertically position the cutter 36 so that its cutting edges will be effective against the outer edge of the heel seat and heel base components of the heel, as is generally indicated in FIG. 6.

The entire cutter assembly, consisting of the arbor 38, the cutter 36, the freely revoluble guide 44, the upper rand-guide 50 and the nut 52, is normally maintained in a lowermost position, as determined by abutment of the lower end of the arbor against the aforesaid drive shaft shoulder 48, by means of a coil-type compression spring 56 disposed in encircling relation about the extreme upper end 34a of the cutter drive shaft which is preferably formed tubular as shown, and which is reactive between the rand-guide securing nut 52 and the under side of a large-diameter head 58 on an end pin 60 which is dimensioned so as to be insertible in the bore of said drive-shaft upper end for detachable securement thereto. Conveniently, the .pin securing means may take the form of a bayonet-joint connection comprising diametrically projecting pins 62 carried by the shank of the pin 60 and cooperating J-shaped bayonet slots 64 in the tubular wall of the upper end of the shaft extension 34a and which of course open through the upper edge thereof.

This arrangement provides for limited free-floating movement of the entire cutter assembly against the bias of the spring 56. Means are also provided for positively actuating said cutter assembly in axially upward direction by a limited amount against the bias of spring 56. As more or less diagrammatically shown in FIG. 6, such means comprises a lifter wedge 66 having sliding bearing on the top face of the machine table 32 and adapted for limited movement therealong from its normal retracted position in which it is shown to a more forward or active position in which its wedge-shaped working end 66a wedges in under the freely revoluble guide disc 44 to an extent raising same and thereby the entire cutter assembly a limited amount in upward direction.

To actuate said lifter wedge 66 as aforesaid, it is connected as by pins 68a, 68b extending through elongated slots 70a, 7012 provided in the machine table 32 to an under plate 72 having sliding bearing on the under face of said machine table. Normally, said lifter wedge 66 and under plate 72, operating as a unit by virtue of the pin connection therebetween, are maintained in their retracted (rightwise) position by means of a tension spring 74 secured at one end (not shown) to a point on the under side of the machine table and at its forward working 'end to said under plate 72, as by means of an eye 76 extending downwardly therefrom. Said eye also serves as a means for connecting one end of a cable 78 to said un der plate, the cable extending over an idler pulley 80 rotatable in a bracket 82 affixed to the under face of the machine table and thence to a foot treadle (not shown).

By the above arrangement, the entire cutter assembly may be bodily raised by depression of the foot pedal from its normal lowermost position the limited amount necessary to raise the rand-guide 50 to a level such that its outer edge 50a is disposed slightly above the level of the heel seat portion 12 of the outsole of the shoe supported on said machine table 32, as previously described. Upon release of the foot treadle, the cutter assembly will lower under the bias of spring 56 to a position determined by engagement of the rand guide with the exposed upwardly facing edge of the heel-seat portion 14 of said shoe. Thereafter, the cutter assembly will float in accordance with any variation in thickness of the heel seat component of the heel being trimmed and/or unevenness in the upper surface thereof. Also, the above described cutter mounting and arrangement provides for simple removal of the cutter assembly as a whole from the cutter-drive shaft 34, for the purpose of changing the revoluble guide to one of greater or lesser diameter, or of sharpening the cutter, or of replacing the cutter assembly with the heel scouring means to be described, the latter in the event that said scouring means is powered from the aforesaid shaft 34.

As earlier forecast, the invention provides that after a shoe is put through its heel contouring and sizing operation, i.e. subjected to the action of the cutter 36, it is scoured, i.e. abraded, with fine sandpaper (or equivalent) to remove possible chatter marks resulting from the cutter action and to impart a smooth surface to the trimmed heel components preliminary to its final finishing as by staining and buffing, as is conventional. Preferably, the scouring operation is performed immediately following completion of the contouring or trimming operation, and for this purpose the aforesaid cutter assembly may be removed as a unit from the drive shaft 34 (as permitted by the separability of the end pin 60 with respect to the upper end of said drive shaft) and a scouring mean-s, whose proper operation is also dependent on the use of the aforesaid template 26, is substituted therefor. Alternately, as will be later described in connection with FIGS. 9-12, the machine may be provided with two drive shafts 6 arranged in adjacency, one being or corresponding to the aforesaid drive shaft 34 and the second serving the scouring means, such arrangement also eliminating double handling of the shoe and requiring but a single template.

Illustratively, and referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the scouring means comprises an endless band of sandpaper 84 trained over a drum-form driven roller 86 and a companion laterally spaced idler roller 88. Preferably, the driven roller is surfaced throughout at least its axial length portion which is engaged by the sandpaper band with a material providing a friction driving surface for said band, such as cork, wood-backed felt, etc., whereas the idler roller 88 may have a conventionally machined surface. The sandpaper band is tensioned whereby it is maintained in friction-driving contact with the driven roller 86 by any suitable endless-belt or band-type tensioning means, which illustratively comprises an arm 90 which mounts the spindle 88a of the idler roller at its approximate mid point and is :pivotally connected at its one end to a point on the upper surface of the machine table 32 so as to be capable of swinging towards and away from the driven roller 86, and a tension spring 92 connected to and biasing the other end of said arm in a direction away from said driven roller. It will of course be understood that the strength of the spring 92 is such that it applies requisite tension on the endless sandpaper belt 84 as to insure the positive drive thereof by the driven roller 86.

Although not shown in detail, it is to be understood that the driven roller 86 is mounted on an arbor corresponding generally to the aforesaid cutter arbor 38 and which is adapted to be telescoped onto the reduced-diameter, upper end portion 34a of the drive shaft and to be drivingly connected to said drive shaft, through the provision of lower end driving fork 96a, 96b, just as with the arbor 38 of the cutter assembly. The roller arbor also mounts below the roller 86 a freely revoluble discform guide 98 and above said roller a top securing nut 100 corresponding to the guide 44 and top nut 52, respectively, of the cutter assembly. When assembled to the shaft 34 in substitution for the cutter assembly, as in FIG. 7, the roller assembly 86, 98 and 100 is biased to its operative lowermost position in which it is coupled to the drive shaft 34 by means of the aforesaid spring 56 and end pin 60, just as the cutter assembly is so held.

At this point, it is explained that, whereas the revoluble guide 44 of the cutter assembly will in most cases be chosen to have about 4 larger diameter than that of its cutter 36, with the result that the trimmed heel seat and base will be oversize as respects the actual size desired in the finished heel product, the diameter of the revoluble guide 98 of the roller assembly is the same as the CD. of the combination of the driven roller 86 and sanding belt 84 trained thereover. Thus, it is contemplated that the sanding belt will bring the heel seat and heel base size down from its approximate A oversize to the exact size desired, at the same time imparting a very smooth surface to the contoured heel edges preliminary to the later staining and bufling operations usually given a shoe heel to finish same.

Referring to FIG. 9, such illustrates a preferred commercial model of apparatus according to the invention, this view for clarity omitting the template 26 and its shoe-rest plate 28. It is a feature thereof that the trimming cutter assembly generally designated TC and the scouring means generally designated SM are mounted in exposed, side-by-side relation on the horizontal top T of a console-type cabinet C, which top corresponds to the aforementioned table 32, and that said mechanisms are driven by separate upright drive shafts S and S disposed in corresponding side-by-side relation within the cabinet. Said upright shafts are powered by a single electric motor M also mounted within the cabinet, preferably through suitable V-belt and grooved pulley drives V and V speeds, is objectionable.

A motor control switch MS is mounted in a switch box affixed to the front wall of the cabinet at a level as to be readily accessible to the operator of the apparatus, and projecting through suitable openings provided in said front wall at foot level are two pedals F and F whose depression effects limited raising of the trimming cutter assembly TC and the scouring means SM, respectively, through suitable means to be described. Such an arrangement makes it possible, upon the switch MS being turned to the On position, to .put the motor M in operation as results in both the trimming cutter assembly TC and the scouring means SM being simultaneously started and thereafter maintained in operation. Such an arrangement enables successive trimming and scouring operations to be performed on a shoe having a template 26 attached thereto without the operator being required to further manipulate the switch MS or to leave his fixed work station directly in front of the cabinet C or to remove and/ or replace the template between the trimming and scouring operations.

The FIG. form of trimming cutter assembly incorporates features of improvement not present in the FIG. 6 form of assembly which were found to be of advantage in actual practice. More particularly, the rand guide 150 (sometimes called a cutter guard) is mounted to turn freely on ball bearings 152, and is formed with an axialupward hub portion 150a. Also, means are provided to prevent uncontrolled rotation of both said guide disc or wheel 144 and said rand guide 150. In explanation of the desirability of such means, experience has shown that while guide disc 144 and rand guide 150 should be free to rotate with the template and shoe while the latter are together turned generally about the axis of the heel of said shoe so as progressively to present the heel seat and base to the action of the trimming cutter, uncontrolled rotation of said guide disc and/or rand guide, which the cutter tends to impart thereto when rotated at high Accordingly, means are provided to damp or brake any such undesirable uncontrolled rotation, such preferably comprising springloaded plungers 154, 156 carried by a bodily raisable, vertically disposed block member 158 positioned relatively to the rear of the cutter assembly and whose free ends mount brake or drag shoes154a, 156a of a suitable braking material which bear respectively against the periphery of the hub portion 150a of the rand guide 150 and the periphery of the cylindrical body of the guide disc 144. Preferably, said block 158 and thereby the brake or drag shoes are dependently carried by a top arm 160 through which the end of the cutter arbor projects and which is held in place on the arbor by a nut 162 corresponding generally to the previously described top nut 52, and said block and shoes are further held against turning movement about the cutter axis by a vertical peg 164 which depends from said block 158 and loosely fits in an opening provided therefor in the top of cabinet C on which the cutter assembly is disposed.

By the aforesaid arrangement, both guide disc and rand guide may roll when engaged by a template aflixed to the shoe and the rand of the heel thereof, respectfully, but are restrained against uncontrolled rotation with the cutter proper.

FIG. 10 also illustrates a simplified means for raising the cutter assembly TC as compared to that shown in FIG. 6. More particularly, the previously described sliding wedge means serving this purpose is eliminated, and in its place is substituted a simple rock lever 180 physically disposed above the cabinet top and being pivoted to rock about the horizontal axis of a cross pin 182 extending through said lever intermediate its ends and which is supported in a fixed upright clevis member 184 tafiixed to the cabinet top. The relatively forward end of said rock lever is formed as a rounded nose 18012 which projetcs beneath an offset formation 160a provided on the aforesaid top ar-m 160, and its rearward end is pivotally connected to the forked upper end 186a of a vertical rod 186 which projects through the cabinet top T and whose lower end is connected to the foot pedal F Thus, depression of said foot pedal effects motion of the rock lever 180 in a direction such that its forward nose portion 180a engages against the under side of the top-arm offset 160a and lifts said top arm and thereby the entire cutter assembly the limited amount required to provide the desirable floating movement of the cutter TC.

FIG. 10 further illustrates the drive of the cutter ssembly from the motor M, via the aforementioned upright shaft S and V-bel-t and pulley drive means V Continuing experience with the apparatus of the invention has also demonstrated the desirability of raising the scouring means SM, just as with the trimming cutter assembly, thus to accommodate the sand-ing belt component of said scouring means to shoes of different sole thicknesses, for example. Accordingly, referring to FIG. 12, in current apparatus of the invention, the scouring means comprising the driven roller 286 and the idler roller 288 about which the sanding belt 284 is trained (such corresponding to the rollers 86 and 88 and the sanding belt 84 of FIGS. 7 and 8), as well as belt-tracking and belt-tensioning mechanism associated therewith, are all carried on a bodily elevatable plate 200 mounted within'the cabinet C just below the cabinet top T proper. To effect bodily elevation of said. plate 200 and parts carried thereby, said plate, which may have generally rectangular configuration in plan, carries front and rear vertical racks 202, 204 which depend downwardly therefrom into the cabinet interior. A fixed base plate 206, disposed below said elevatable plate 200 and secured to the under side of the cabinet top by corner bolts 208 extending through spacer sleeves 208a, mounts front and rear upright side plates 210, 212, and journaled for rotation in said side plates are front and rear horizontal stub shafts 214, 216 having pinions designate-d 214a, 216akeyed thereto and which mesh with the aforesaid front and rear racks 202, 204. From the construction so far described, it will be understood that rotation of the pinions will result in elevation and depression of the elevatable plate 200 and thereby of the entire scouring means carried thereby.

Rotation of said pinions 214a, 21611 in direction as effects elevation of the plate 200 and thereby raising of the scouring means is responsive to depression of the aforesaid foot pedal F through a connecting linkage system including an upright link 220 (FIG. 9) affixed at its lower end to the movable foot pedal F and at its upper end to the horizontal arm of an L-shaped bellcrank lever 222, only the upper end of the vertical arm of which is shown but which is mounted to rock in clockwise direction (FIG. 12) with depression of said foot pedal F Said upper end of the vertical arm of the bellcrank 222 is connected to one end of a generally horizontal pushpull link 224, the other end of which is pivotally connected to a horizontal connecting bar 226 at a point intermediate the ends of the latter, and said ends are respectively connected to the lower ends of rock arms 228, 230, the upper ends of which latter are keyed to the ends of the stub shafts 214, 216 which mount the aforesaid front and rear pinions 214a, 2161:.

Thus, by the aforesaid arrangement, depression of the foot pedal F by the operator efi'ects bodily raising movement of the plate 200, and corresponding raising movement of the scouring means and associated parts mounted thereon. And upon release of the foot pedal F the weight of the plate 200 and parts carried thereby, plus that of the linkage mechanism extending between said foot pedal and plate, will cause said plate 200 to lower to its normal low position by gravity, but of course such lowering movement can be assisted by springs if considered necessary.

FIG. 12 shows that both the guide the guide roller 298 and a freely rotatable top roller 300 (corresponding to the rand guide ofthe FIG. 10 form of trimming cutter assembly), and which'are associated with the beltengaged driven roller 236 of the scouring means SM, may also be braked against uncontrolled rotation by braking means carried by the elevatable plate 200. Illustratively, such braking means, which is generally similar to that employed in said FIG. 10 form, comprises an upright block 158x and upper and lower spring-loaded plungers 154x, 156x, which carry brake shoes at their free ends extending into engagement with the peripheral surfaces of said rollers 298 and 300.

FIG. 12 also illustrates very generally the means carried by the elevatable plate 200 of the scouring means SM for tensioning the sanding belt 284 as needed, and also for insuring that the idler roller 288 of said means tracks the driven (powered) roller 286 thereof as necessary to prevent the sanding belt disengaging from and possibly flying off said rollers. First it is explained that the spindle 288a mounting the idler roller 288 turns on ball bearings within an upright sleeve 310 which is mounted for fore-and-aft tilting movement above pivots 312 carried at the upper ends of a pair of trunnion arms 314, one of which is shown in FIG. 12. Said trunnion arms project upwardly from a horizontal slide member 316 having slide mounting on, and forwardly-rearwardly with respect to, the aforesaid elevatable plate 200. A rearwardly projecting thumb screw 318 having its shank end journaled in the rear edge of said plate 200 operates on a rearward extension (not shown) of the slide memher 316 in manner such that rotation of said thumb screw effects controlled forward-rearward movement of the slide member and corresponding movement of the parts carried thereby, including the spindle 288a, as provides for adjustment of the tension applied to the sanding belt 2.84.

A second rearwardly projecting thumb screw 320 operating in a nut (not shown) aflixed to and projecting upwardly from the rearward end of the slide member 316 terminates at its forward end in a clevis 322 pivotally connected to a rearwardly directed upright web 310a on the spindle-mounting sleeve 310. The arrangement is thus such that turning of the thumb screw 320 will apply controlled fore-and-after tilt to the spindle 288a via its mountsleeve, as is necessary to the idler roller 288 tracking the powered roller 286.

While it is believed that the heel trimming and/r scouring apparatus of the invention, and also the manner of operation thereof, will be clear from the foregoing description, such are briefly detailed as follows:

A template 36 is made up to a standard of contour and size rendering it suitable as a heel pattern for shoes of any make and size range using the same size heel, and for interchangeable use on each of the right and left shoes of the shoe pairs falling within said size range. Said template will be provided with the female or socket-type fastener elements 30 identical with and arranged similarly to those of the snap-on finished outer heel such as that designated 22 (FIG. 2). Said outer heel will be produced as a finished item having the same contour and size as said template either before or after fabrication of the temple and/or the shoe contouring and sizing operation using the same as a heel pattern. The shoes whose heel portions are to be trimmed and scoured will each be supplied with a rough heel base (12) secured in place as by nails (18) to the rough heel-seat portion (14) of the shoe outsole (16), and with male or stud fasteners (20) preset in final position on said heel base through the use of appropriate means for fixing their position on said heel base to that of the complemental sockets of the finished outer heel. The template 26 is then simply snapped on to the heel base, and the shoe with template attached is ready to be placed on the shoe supporting means, i.e. the machine table 32 (FIG. 6) or the top of the console C (FIGS. 9 and 11), in position such that the template will engage the guide disc or roller 44 (FIG. 6) or 144 (FIGS. 9-l1) with some slight further movement towards same.

The cutter assembly is positively raised by actuation of the foot pedal (not shown in FIGS. 6F in FIG. 9) from its normal position with respect to said table or console top the limited amount necessary to raise the randguide outer edge slightly above the level of the upper projecting edge of the heel seat portion of the shoe ready for the heel contouring and sizing operation as aforesaid, whereupon the shoe held by hand as in FIG. 11 is moved laterally against the cutter assembly, with the result that the rand guide edge moves into the crease between the shoe upper and the heel seat and the template moves against the freely revoluble disc guide (44 or 144) of the cutter assembly. Thereupon, pressure on the foot pedal is released, and the rand guide lowers onto the projecting, upwardly-facing edge surface of said heel seat under the bias of the top spring of the cutter assembly, the spring then serving to cause the rand guide to bear with spring pressure on and ride said edge regardless of variation in thickness of the heel seat or unevenness of its upper edge surface.

Assuming the cutter to be now positively driven, the shoe (as best indicated in FIG. 11) is turned by hand generally about the heel axis while maintaining the template in contact with the said guide disc or roller, such resulting in the cutter 36 of the cutting assembly contouring and sizing the heel seat and heel base components of the shoe heel to the contour and approximate size of the template.

In the explanation of the latter statement as it pertains to size, it is contemplated that a series of guides corresponding to the guide 44 or 144 and having diameters in increments will be provided, and the guide chosen will be about & larger than the cutting diameter, such resulting in the trimmed heel seat and base being a corresponding X larger than the actual size required in the final heel. The reason for the series of guides having size increments as aforesaid is to compensate for the decreases in cutter diameter inevitably occurring as the cutter is periodically sharpened, and the oversize is to allow for the small reduction in heel size incident to the scouring operation, which of course removes some of the heel surface material.

Upon completion of the heel trimming operation, and assuming that the shaft 34 also drives the scouring means, as in FIGS. 6-8, the cutter assembly is dismounted from the drive shaft 34 and the roller assembly of the scouring means 84-160 mounted on said shaft in substitution thereof. On the other hand, such is not necessary with the FIGS. 9-12 form of apparatus, since in the latter the cutter assembly and the scouring means are separately driven by their own shafts. In both cases, however, the diameter of the scouring means guide roller (98 or 298) is the same as the CD. of the combination of the sandpaper band and its driving roller. This will result in the scouring means, through the abrading effect of its sandpaper band, reducing the aforementioned over-size of the heel seat and base components and thus in said components finally having the same contour and size as said template and acquiring a very smooth outer-edge surface ready for final operation of heel staining and buffing. It will be understood, of course, that during the second stage operation of heel scouring the shoe is rotated about its heel axis and guided in this movement by engagement of the template with the periphery of the guide 98 or 298, just as during the first-stage trimming operation. Upon completion of the scouring operation, the template is simply unsnapped from the heel base and the shoe is now ready to receive its finished outer heel as aforesaid.

Since the aforesaid heel seat and heel base trimming and scouring operations are performed independently of and without resort to any physical or direct use of the finished outer heel ultimately to be attached, attachment of said outer heel may be effected at any time following completion of said scouring operation that is practical or convenient, i.e. immediately upon said completion or any time following said completion that fits into or is compatible with a manufacturing schedule.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above described apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in this description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for trimming and scouring the heel seat and heel base components of the heel of a formed shoe to the contour and size of a finished outer heel prior to the attachment of the latter comprising, in combination: a metallic template having contour and size corresponding substantially identically with that of the finished outer heel, said template carrying means for effecting its detachable securement to the heel base component of the heel of the shoe in the identical position which the finished outer heel will have when it is later secured thereto, trimming and scouring means including guide means engageable by said template and a first-stage contouring and sizing means and a second-stage sanding means operative to trim and scour said heel seat and heel base components of the shoe heel to the contour and size of said template responsive to guided movement of the shoe with template secured thereon as aforesaid and with said template engaged with said guide means about said trimming and scouring means, and means for supporting the shoe with template secured thereto as aforesaid during the course of its guided movement about said trimming and scouring means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said trimming and scouring means comprises a powered rotatable cutter assembly and a powered heel sanding means, respectively, each including a freely rotatable guide means as aforesaid which when engaged by the template guide the latter and thereby the shoe in its guided movement as aforesaid.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cutter assembly and sanding means are each drivingly connected to a common driving shaft.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said cutter assembly and sanding means are disposed in side-by-side relation above a horizontal surface comprising said supporting means.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said cutter assembly and sanding means are drivingly connected to shafts driven from a single motor, said shafts and said -motor being disposed below said supporting surface.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least the cutter assembly is mounted for vertical floating movement whereby it may bodily adjust itself to variations in the thickness of the heel components being trimmed.

7. Apparatus for trimming the heel seat and heel base components of a formed shoe responsive to guided movement of a shoe about its heel axis comprising, in com bination: a shoe rest surface, a trimming cutter assembly including a rotatable cutter element arranged above said surface with its axis vertically disposed, a powered shaft extending through said surface to said cutter assembly, means providing an axially extensible drive connection between the upper end of said shaft and said cutter assembly, meansbiasing said cutter assembly to a lowermost position with respect to said rest surface, rotatable crease guide means carried by said cutter assembly adapted to project into the crease between the shoe upper and the heel seat portion of the outsole of a shoe resting on said rest surface adjacent said cutter assembly, thereby to 'maintain said cutter assembly at a position in elevation determined by the level and evenness condition of said heel seat portion, and means for bodily raising said cutter assembly from its said lowermost position to a raised position as enables insertion of said rotatable means in said crease, whereby upon release of said raising means the l 2 shoe heel presented to the cutter itself determines the elevation thereof.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said cutter assembly further includes a rotatable guide disc adapted to be engaged by a template operative upon its engagement with said guide disc to guide said shoe in its guided movement aforesaid.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein means are provided to dampen the free rotation of said rotatable means and of said rotatable guide disc.

19. Apparatus for scouring the heel seat and heel base components of a formed shoe responsive to guided movement of a shoe about its heel axis comprising, in combination: a shoe rest surface, a template having contour and size corresponding substantially identically with that of a finished outer heel ultimately to be attached to the heel base, scouring means comprising a sanding belt trained over two horizontally spaced powered and idler rollers turning on vertical axes and being disposed to the upper side of said surface, said powered roller also mounting a freely rotatable guide disc disposed below the sanding belt and adapted to be engaged by said template operative upon its engagement with said guide disc to guide said shoe in its guided movement aforesaid, and means for bodily raising said scouring means to a level such as insures engagement of said sanding belt with side edge surfaces of the heel seat and heel base of a shoe partaking of guided movement as aforesaid.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein means are provided to damp the free rotation of said guide disc.

12. Shoe-heel contouring and sizing apparatus comprising, in combination, a metallic template having contour and size corresponding substantially identically to the contour and size of a finished outer heel ultimately to be attached to the heel base in completion of the heel, said template having means adapting it to be temporarily attached to the heel base in the same position later to be assumed by the finished outer heel upon its being attached, means providing a rest surface for a shoe with template temporarily attached thereto as aforesaid, a drive shaft operatively related to and having a working end extending to said rest surface, a cutter assembly adapted to be de tachably mounted on said working end and including an arbor and a freely revoluble guide, a multi-blade rotary cutter and a circular edged rand guide all coaxially mounted on said arbor and said cutter being drivingly connected to said arbor, means providing a driving connection between said arbor and the working end of the drive shaft, means detachably securing said assembly as a whole to said drive shaft end and including means for baising same to a normal lowermost position adjacent the shoe rest surface while permitting both limited free floating and positive axial movement of the assembly upwardly from said surface, and operator-controlled means for positively raising said assembly a limited distance above said surface, the construction and arrangement being such that the cutter and guide assembly may be positively raised to a position initially to insert the rand guide outer edge into the crease between the shoe upper and the heel seat portion of the insole of a shoe resting on said rest surface and may thereafter float to a position determined by the level and evenness condition of said heel seat portion, in which latter position said template and freely revoluble guide may be cooperatively related in manner as to cause the cutter to trim and size the heel seat and heel base components to the contour and size of said template responsive to guided movement of the shoe about the cutter assembly, all prior to the attachment of said finished outer heel.

13. For use in apparatus for trimming and scouring the heel seat and heel base components to a shoe heel to the contour and size of a finished outer heel of the snap-on type and which is accordingly provided with a plurality of snap-fastener elements arranged in predetermined position ghout the area of its attaching face that are adapted to coact with complemental snap fasteners similarly arranged on the attaching face of the heel base, a template of hard permanent material having contour and size corresponding substantially exactly with that of said finished outer heel and being provided on a face thereof with snap-fastener elements of number, arrangement and function identical with those carried by said finished outer heel, whereby said template may be snapped onto the heel base in the same position thereon which said outer heel would assume it snapped thereonto.

14. A template according to claim 13, which is made of metal and is provided on its opposite face with a shoe rest member also serving as a template handle.

15. Apparatus for trimming and scouring the heel seat and heel base components of a shoe heel to the contour and size of a finished outer heel prior to attachment of the latter comprising, in combination: a template of hard permanent material having contour and size exactly that of the finished outer heel, means on said template for effecting its detachable securement t the heel base component in the identical posit-ion laterally and longitudinally which the finished outer heel will have when it is later secured in place on the heel base component but in which it is spaced axially a small distance away from the heel base component, trimming and scouring means including guide means engageahle by said template and a first-stage contouring and sizing means and a second-stage sanding means operative to trim and scour said heel seat and heel base components to the contour and size of said template responsive to guided movement of the shoe with template detachably secured thereto and with said template en gaged with said guide means about said trimming and scouring means, the spacing between the heel base component and said template being such as to insure trimming and scouring of said heel seat and heel base components throughout their full combined depth without said template being engaged by said trimming and/or scouring means, and means for supporting the shoe with template secured thereto as aforesaid during the course of its guided movement about said trimming and scouring means.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said template is provided with quick-detachable attaching means complemental with detaching means on the heel base.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the finished outer heel and said template are provided with snap-0n attaching means, each complementary to snap-on attaching means carried by the heel base component and wherein said snap-on means comprise the sole means for securing the template and thereafter the finished outer heel to the heel base component.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,971 12/1917 Winkley 12-87 2,359,395 10/1944 Stacey l286.7

2,644,968 7/1953 Benedict et al 12-87 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

P. D. LAWSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRIMMING AND SCOURING THE HEEL SEAT AND HEEL BASE COMPONENTS OF THE HEEL OF A FORMED SHOE TO THE CONTOUR AND SIZE OF A FINISHED OUTER HEEL PRIOR TO THE ATTACHMENT OF THE LATTER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A METALLIC TEMPLATE HAVING CONTOUR AND SIZE CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICALLY WITH THAT OF THE FINISHED OUTER HEEL, SAID TEMPLATE CARRYING MEANS FOR EFFECTING ITS DETACHABLE SECUREMENT TO THE HEEL BASE COMPONENT OF THE HEEL OF THE SHOE IN THE IDENTICAL POSITION WHICH THE FINISHED OUTER HEEL WILL HAVE WHEN IT IS LATTER SECURED THERETO, TRIMMINING AND SCOURING MEANS INCLUDING GUIDE MEANS ENGAGEABLE BY SAID TEMPLATE AND A FIRST-STAGE CONTOURING AND 